Designers find the fabric of success

Designers find the fabric of success - The West Australian

Three of WA's most talented young designers will get the chance of a lifetime when they go to a world-class Japanese textile factory in March.

Catherine Somerford, Megan Anita Sears and Yan Zion will get a whirlwind tour of Japan's Hyogo Prefecture and submit designs for fabrics to the famous Banshu textile factory, where the client base includes Burberry, Chanel and Louis Vuitton.

They will also present a collection of their work to the Nishiwaki Fashion Festival. Back in WA, they will display garments from their original fabric designs.

Ms Zion said the program gave emerging designers access to fabrics they could never get without high-end contacts.

"It's a dream come true for me," she said. "Our industry is growing but the opportunities here are not as abundant as in Sydney, Melbourne, New York or London.

"For the Japanese companies to do this program is pretty amazing."

The State Government funds the program as part of WA's sister State relationship with Hyogo.

The winners, who submitted original fabric designs for the competition, were selected by high-profile members of WA's fashion industry, including Aurelio Costarella, Galleria Couture and Jennifer Gaye Agencies.

Premier Colin Barnett hailed the program as a pioneering cultural exchange that would build links between WA's growing fashion industry and Hyogo's renowned Banshu textile manufacturers.